The county I live in has issued an indoor mask mandate. It started today. I rarely go outside anymore because I have two auto-immune disorders. When I do leave the house, I am almost always the only one wearing a mask.
According to my county’s Department of Public Health, the mask mandate is in response to a surge of COVID-19 cases that are described as the highest number of COVID-19 patients that the county has ever had. Part of the reason for the mask mandate is to enable hospitals to have room for people who need treatment for heart attacks, broken bones, or cancer (as a few examples).
I’m not going to say which county I live in, but will disclose that it is somewhere in California.
The mask mandate applies to not only those who are not vaccinated, but also those who are. An order has been issued that makes it clear that failing to adhere to the order is “a public nuisance subject to citation, abatement, or both, as well as a misdemeanor punishable by fine, imprisonment, or both.”
This is not new. In 1918, there was an influenza pandemic. The United States issued a mask mandate. Back then people who were not wearing a mask, or who were wearing their mask improperly (below their chin, for example), were given 30-day jail sentences. Those who could afford it could pay a $10 bail and be released.
My county now requires that masks be worn over the mouth and nose in all indoor settings. It includes gatherings, workplaces, offices, retail stores, restaurants, bars, fitness centers, theaters, museums, personal care services, family entertainment centers, and government offices serving the public.
Businesses must now require everyone who wants to enter to wear face coverings. The business must post signs at the door to make it clear that people must wear a mask if they want to go inside. Students, teachers, and others working at in-person schooling, will be required to wear a mask while indoors.
Personally, I am relieved to hear this news. The mask mandate will help prevent the spread of COVID-19. It makes the county a little bit safer for people like me who have weak immune systems. People who need to go to the hospital for non-COVID health issues will have a chance to get the care they need.
I cannot help but wonder what things would be like today if the United States government issued a mask mandate right at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. So many lives could have been saved.
Anti-maskers are probably going to get angry about my county’s mask mandate. I recommend they get used to ordering their groceries to be delivered to their homes. They should also expect to pay fines for being maskless inside a store or business.
My County Issued a Mask Mandate is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites.
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